SAM has welcomed the formation of the just-announced Alliance for IP Media Solutions (AIMS) and has also confirmed its active involvement. This is a new, independent trade association whose “priority is to bring IP solutions to market that offer complete interoperability, are based on open standards, and integrate seamlessly into media workflow environments to foster industry innovation and efficiency.”

Tim Thorsteinson, CEO of SAM, said, “AIMS’ mandate dovetails precisely with the issues that we have identified from our R&D work and initial IP deployments on the production and playout side: we need to push forwards with standardization. Without this, we won’t see a true market develop around IP products and therefore the full benefits won’t be realized. SAM is an active participant within AIMS, as it continues to be with other initiatives that AIMS highlights. This initiative is going to be a key way to protect customer choice.”

AIMS is focusing on promoting the adoption, standardization, development and refinement of open protocols for media over IP, with an initial emphasis on VSF TR-03 and TR-04, SMPTE 2022-6 and AES67.

Thorsteinson said, “The time is now for this. We don’t want to see the industry heading down a proprietary route, which it’s in danger of doing. Open standards work is of course already taking place, with active testing occurring and in which we are participating, but to have an umbrella association working collaboratively is vital. SAM is now helping customers identify IP migration strategies, strategies that will vary tremendously from customer-to-customer.”

An example is SAM’s work with Dutch media group DutchView Infostrada, part of the NEP worldwide network. Based on SAM’s unique SDI to IP transition solution the company has successfully broadcast its first live, IP-based multi-camera broadcasts using its Cloud Production platform. All production operations were centralized on the company’s own data centers at the Media Park in Hilversum, fed by IP-streamed media over its own dedicated dark fiber-optic network links directly from the event, studio and centralized galleries.